u/PotentialDeadbeat

Coming up in my 15th year as a founder of a mostly defense firm and the company crossed a growth threshold a few years ago where I am always busy and stretched thin. I have been in the industry for 40 years and while our growth requires more and more oversight I am also at a stage where I would like to spend less time engaged in the day-to-day grind.

Any experienced founders, execs or former GovCon firms have any real world stories how you navigated this dilemma? I figure I can either hire an SVP/COO and slow down, sell it all, or possibly have an investor/operator buy in to partnership and let them run the company. I still have value to provide, but not 60-75 hrs a week it takes sometimes in this world.

The company is at its strongest and right now I am not quite ready to walk away. It may be a smaller group I am talking to, but here goes. Do folks in this sub have examples of, or have done yourself, to begin to slow down after years of building that is not an ESOP (we have a socio economic set aside I want to preserve)?

I have 10 proposals across 4 different defense agencies all delayed in awarding. I knew shutdown and releasing funding delays have affected most every service. RFPs, KOs, and CoRs were telling us April, but now we are in May and it is still crickets.

I had 1 TORP canceled Friday because the agency doesn't have funding. I am sure the Iran war is eating up operating funds, but does anyone have any insider information about what in the hell these continued delays are, and if funding is on the way?